Smart bank and credit cards will be introduced in Bahrain by 2004, reported the Gulf News on Saturday.

“One aim of this project is to thwart criminals, who can easily copy the magnetic stripe currently used in cards,” one official said, adding that smart cards could also be used for secure trading over the Internet.

A Bahrain committee has been formed to oversee the implementation of smart cards, under a GCC program, said chairman of the Bankers Society of Bahrain (BSB), Murad Ali Murad.

“The move to adopt smart cards, or integrated circuit chips, is driven by deadlines set by international card issuers, like Visa and Master Card and GCCNET,” he said.

Smart cards can also be used for a variety of non-banking functions, including storing a persons health records or travel preferences, such as seating and meals and loyalty programs from retailers and merchants, say industry sources.

The committee, set up to oversee the implementation of smart cards in Bahrain, will outline the strategy for a national smart card infrastructure to support chips on debit and credit cards, electronic purses and other banking applications, the paper said – Albawaba.com